26 May, 1975.

This one again. I blame the Scottish ancestors and all that country music they listened to on Clyde 2 all those years ago. I was very young and impressionable, what were they thinking?

This was written and recorded in 1974 by songwriter Larry Weiss, who was also know for the songs Bend Me, Shape Me by The American Breed and Help Me Girl by The Animals. At the time, Glen Campbell was on tour in Australia when he first heard the song and immediately bought a copy on cassette (remember them?)

On his return to the US he told his record company that he had found the perfect song. A&R man Al Coury replied that he had also found a song he thought would be perfect for Campbell – a song titled Rhinestone Cowboy. Seeing this as a sign, and identifying with the story of a struggling country singer, Campbell made the decision to record the song – a decision I’m sure he didn’t regret as it has gone on to become his signature song over the years.

On its release the song became a hit with both country and pop fans and gave him a number one hit in both Canada and the US, on both the mainstream and country charts, as well as a number one in Ireland. Here in the UK it spent twelve weeks on the chart and peaked at number four.